Deputies seek help solving 25-year-old Crescent Beach murder

Cold case detectives with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Robbery/Homicide Unit are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying remains found more than 25 years ago in a Crescent Beach sand dune.

On April 11, 1985, workers building a dock discovered the skeletal remains and called the Sheriff’s Office. The remains were located 8/10’s of a mile north of the Crescent Beach ramp, about 10 feet from the high tide level and about 2 ½ feet below the dune level.

The remains were sent to the University of Florida where an anthropological report was completed. At the time, the report indicated that the remains are possibly of a white female, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall with light brown to blond hair. The age at the time of the discovery was between 20-40 years of age and the death occurred between one and five years prior to the discovery.

A cause of death was unable to be determined due to the decomposition of the body at the time, but it was ruled a homicide.

Bones that were recovered showed numerous healed fractures and three distinctive surgical burr holes in the skull. It was speculated that the victim, prior to her death, had been involved in some type of auto accident where these injuries would have occurred.

A dental record report was completed at the time of the discovery however future examination may be limited due to some of the teeth being broken in storage and travel.

A DNA profile was developed from the remains through the University of North Texas.

There were no missing persons reports from the immediate area that matched the description of this victim.

Anyone with any information concerning the possible identity of this victim is asked to contact Detective Sean Tice at the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 209-2192.

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surgical holes.. the pattern should be sent to major surgery hospitals,, in the hopes a dr. remembers a patient with injuries like that.. she may have simply become to much to handle and either simply died of natural causes,, and was buried there due to lack of funds of the family as she may have liked the beach ??? 25 years ago,, st. john's was the same as mayberry,, as far as crime solving abilities went.. or it could have been a transient woman who while killed/or died elsewhere,, and was able at long last to be buried on a quiet stretch of beach.. lousy luck they started building condos after she was buried.. again that suggests someone not from around the county,, or they might have been aware of the construction soon to begin,, depending on the reporting of such matters back in the dark ages ... then again how many killers actually read the paper ??? usually only after they are caught,, and only if they can read !!! but hey,, who knows,, some mother somewhere,, may recognize the holes in her head and call it in ???>>>yathink

There were condos on the beach back then. Not as many as now, I'll grant you, but still quite a few.
And St. Augustine beach wasn't quite as unsophisticated as you seem to remember.
I do remember driving my VW bug in the dunes of that area but it was more like 40 years ago.

Halsmidkiff is correct on the development in the area during that time. Twenty-five years ago that area of the beach was already very developed and not isolated at all. The condos around here starting springing up along the coastline in the late 60 - early 70's. It has been a very long time since there was much undeveloped coastline along our beaches. It is sad to remember what it used to be and then to see what it has now become! I, too, remember dune buggies in the dunes and along the beach and you could leave the ramp at Crescent Beach and go south and really not encounter any development at all - all the way down to Matanzas! But that was during the 1960's - oh my goodness I am getting old!